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Coconut Macaroons

I love the flavor of coconut, it really says “summer” to me. With the season half over already, I decided to whip up a cookie that would let coconut be the star of the show. I decided to try a new recipe and was very pleased with the results. Macaroons are quick and easy and require very few ingredients. They make a great dessert when you are looking for something light and non-chocolatey but are sick of fruit. An added bonus is that there is no added fat other than what is in the coconut! You can eat these and feel good about your diet (just don’t eat too many).

I have used this recipe in the past but like I said, I was in the mood to try a new recipe. While I enjoy the version using sweetened condensed milk, I find them to be very moist and almost gummy (but still yummy).

I found this recipe in an old Pillsbury cookbook, tweaked the preparation method a bit and am pleased with the results. The dough is moist but holds its shape well, especially after a brief 30 minute rest in the fridge. The delicate texture of the dough is a product of pulsing the coconut in a food processor before adding to the recipe. This method was not called for in the original recipe but I feel helps produce a cookie with great texture and consistency. The smaller pieces of coconut produce a dough that holds together well and a cookie with a light but solid interior with no long strands of coconut sticking out of them (which can be somewhat difficult to chew). Chilling the dough for 30 mintues before baking also helps the cookies keep their shape during baking as well as softens the coconut for better texture and flavor of the baked cookie.

The exterior of the cookie has a slight cripness from the browned coconut. However, next time I will bake a tad longer in order for the coconut to brown a bit more. These were not underbaked but another minute or two wouldn’t have hurt. Just watch closely because they can go from light brown to burn pretty fast. The interior of these cookies is flavorful and moist but not overly gooey.

These were very good. Next time I may add some chopped pecans or almonds to the dough or drizzle melted chocolate over some of them after they have finished baking because I love the combination of coconut and chocolate. Heck I may even dip some baked cookies into melted chocolate and sprinkle with nuts if I am in a feisty mood. ha ha.

Bring eggs to room temperature by letting them sit on the counter for about an hour before separating (this will make it easier to separate).
Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.

In a food processor pulse the coconut 1/2 cup at a time for 15-30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl.

Place the egg whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you can turn the speed to medium and then high. Beat until the foam forms stiff, glossy peaks. Add the Vanilla or Almond extract as desired.
Add the sugar, flour and salt and continue to beat until incorporated.
Fold in the coconut just untili combined. Cover bowl tightly and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325.
Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should be of a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4-inch high on the pan.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cookies begin to turn a light brown color.
Immediately remove the cookies and allow to cool on wire racks. Store in cool dry place.

I made these last night and they came out great! Definitely a little chewier than the usual macaroon, but not mushy-which was great! The true test will be when I bring them in to work to share with coworkers. Thanks for the recipe!

I just tried to make the cookies today. I dipped mine in chocolate and added some slivered almonds on top–delish! I have one question, though. How on earth did you get the shape of yours so perfect? Mine were a little more flat, not really bell shaped like yours. Any advice?

clstar:
Did you chill the dough first? I found that chiling it firmed up the dough quite a bit and baking on cold baking sheets allowed them to keep their shape and not spread.
That is the only thing I can think of unless you did not beat the egg whites long enough to foam and hold their shape a bit.
Not beating enough could cause too much ‘liquid’ making the dough too moist to hold a shape. You could always add more coconut (slightly processed in the food processor) and a bit more flour to firm up the dough.

I did chill it after I mixed it together. It very well could have been the egg whites, as I wasn’t quite sure when to stop mixing them. The cookies still tasted amazing! I’ll definitely give them another try. Hopefully I can get the beautiful shape you have. They were delicious, and I hope I can get it right next time! Thanks so much for the advice!

My name is Amy Buisman. I currently go to Alfred University and I am a graphic design student. I have a senior show (BFA thesis Exhibition) at the end of the early and I am creating a restaurant with menus and a cookbook. I found some great images on your website. I would like to know if I could get permission to use them. I would have an acknowledge page of your site and name. With the senior show some people ask to buy things and I wanted to get permission if I could use your image.